Monday, July 26, 2010

"C" Saw Me



That day I just woke up and was sitting my legs crossed on my bed. I rubbed my eyes and turned left towards my table. It was my first programming exam of engineering.

As I turned towards my table I saw my lab record. Its pages were waving and wishing me ‘Good Morning’. I felt like today I will be getting screwed in lab. I gave a look at them like ‘I don’t care’ and turned other side where I had put god photos and was praying them to rescue me from exam. I usually remember god in only tough situations.

I then closed my eyes to recall some programs. It was all mix fruit juice. All 40 programs were mixed up and I felt like the whole record of 40 programs is single program. I came to know that I won’t be seeing black screen (Partial Output) for single program also and I was sure that I am going to get flunk.

Why I was very sure that I will be getting failed is because one day before my exam I faced some tough time. It taught me so many things in life. (Even its awesome incident will tell about it later) .Because of that I couldn’t study programs properly, but my frens were there with me and helped me; still I couldn’t study.

And let me tell lab scenario. There were some 40 programs and some first 15 programs were easy. And I was confident that if I get any one out of those 15 I will be able to get partial output (Black Screen). Last 10 were toughest for me that time. In last 10 programs 5 were strings and 5 were functions I think. Out of those 40 programs I hardly knew the logic for some 20 programs.

I started studying at night and was able to complete some 35 programs and last 5 functions programs I didn’t study. When I woke up morning and stood in front of mirror, I felt like all those 30-35 programs are standing in a queue facing me and laughing loudly that I won’t be able to execute them and won’t be getting output. I was all alone standing in front of them and luck was hiding behind them. But finally it stood with me.

It was only 10 minutes to exam; I had stopped studying 20-30 minutes before only. I was recalling programs and all merged up and looked like a single big entity. Till I stand in queue I had some hopes that I will be getting partial output and pass, but when I was standing in queue to pick chits of program numbers I felt ”This is it! I won’t pass today”.

We were 12 including me in that batch. Everyone should pick two chits. In that program numbers will be written, and we should write programs in answer sheets provided and get signed by invigilator and execute them and answer viva and leave.

My turn came and I picked two chits, both were from last 10 programs. In last 10 programs I had studied 5 and left 5. In

Those two chits one was “string” and other was “Function”. I knew to write string program but I was not sure whether it will get execute, but function program I didn’t even knew to write also. So I decided to change my function program and went to examiner.

I said him ‘I need change of a program’

He said if I change he will be deducting 10 marks. I said fine and felt instead of losing 25 marks let me loose 10.I went again to pick the chit. I don’t know what exactly was running in my mind, but I was completely depending on luck that time. I was expecting any program from first 10. And that luck hiding behind programs picture came in front of my eyes and I went and picked. Guess what it was 1st program and it was damn simple that any fool would execute that. I was jumping inside and said myself that “I am Pass Today”.

I felt quite relaxed and went to my system allotted. It was elliptical cabin, around 20 computers were there. In centre a table and 4 chairs were there. Answer sheets and Program chits and mark sheets were scattered on table.

I got answer sheet and started writing programs. I wrote 1st program and wrote algorithm for that. I needed one extra sheet for writing second program. I called invigilator and asked him like “Sir I need Supplement”.

In my native for additional sheet we used to ask as “supplement”. After 10th I pursued my education in Bangalore. And here these days I never asked additional sheet as Supplement, but I don’t know what made me ask like that day. I still believe luck has jumped from programs side to my side and it made me say Supplement. And “Supplement” Is the word which turned the whole day in favor of me.

Let me tell clearly. The external examiner came towards with extra sheet in hand. He was medium height and he had left French beard and I usually scared of people with French beard. I will feel they are very strict and I was thinking he will screw me today. He reached me and gave me the sheet and said me “You shouldn’t call it as Supplement, its additional sheet”. I just nodded my head to what he said.

When I went to show my programs and get signed to execute them he asked me “where are you from? Which is your native?”

I said “Bijapur”

He exclaimed that ”Is it? where in Bijapur? Even am from Bijapur. ”

I said to myself that ”Yes I got second output.”

I said him my street and where exactly my home is. Even he said about his home and all. While I was walking back to my

seat I was thinking “when I said Supplement so only he came and said me its additional sheet and not Supplement.”

I was completely relaxed and was very sure that I will be pass. And suddenly his French beard and serious face became very familiar to me and that dislike towards his beard went in a span of second.

I executed first program successfully. I typed string program and was sure that I will be getting errors. But I was not worried about errors. And didn’t even bother to remove them. In between other madam came and took viva. Out of 10 questions I answered only one. I didn’t care about viva also. I was feeling like ”Before coming to exam I was FAIL and now am PASS” and was just sitting staring at my computer. And was telling system to resolve errors occurred on your own if u want output and I said I don’t want output now. Will wait till examiner kick me out of lab and in results I will be pass.

After some time sir came to me and asked about output. I Showed him one output and got signed as “O/p seen” on answer sheet. He asked about other program, I said errors are there. He told me to show errors. I was praying inside that he should put “o/p seen” on second also with errors (It was expectation beyond the range). I showed him errors and he went off.

I was looking at him only. Other than that what work I had. He opened some record and checked something and started walking towards me. I turned towards computer and started scratching my head as if am doing some rocket science programming.

He came to me and said me to do some changes and guess what I got output, but it was not proper. I thought he may say me to do it proper, but you know what he literally snatched ma answer sheet and signed there as “o/p seen” and scratched that deduction of 10 marks which he had written for exchange of program.

And when results were out 40 was blinking in marks card. That viva lecture didn’t even give single mark even I had answered one question. I am talking as if I struggled a lot and lost one mark right?

This was how I successfully completed my first programming exam. Thanks to “supplement”.

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